Grateful By Ketaki S. Vaidya

 Some are polite some are rude some love to travel some love food no matter whatever is one's thing overall in general people are amazing One might be a loner   One's  life might be a quest but when you learn from other people  it helps you bring out your best when you are in crisis and feel nothing is going right people support you they encourage you to hold on tight I know people can be cruel causing mindless destruction but it is people only who repair bringing healing and reconciliation People are not perfect they come with all different incomplete things but we all are learning from life  and we all are amazing

 I have a place in my heart It is a place where I spent my childhood I know it does not exist anymore but it  exists in my heart just the way it was or just the way I perceived it was  I feel so lucky to be able to perceive it  the way I perceived it then. Where learning was not limited to school learning happened while the life happened there where I always felt safe whether I felt I belonged  or whether I felt I did not belong Where I met new people and discovered friendship Where I celebrated festivals and life in general where conflicts amongst friends  were life's big problems where I found a part of me that made one piece of my puzzle called identity I have a place in my heart where I spent my childhood I get to visit it once in a while when I meet my old friends I think we all visit it  for the time we meet and talk  that common place is one of the strong reasons  of our friendship It is still a piece of the puzzle called  my iden...

 During the pandemic I realized planning life was a joke As if till now I was in a deep sleep and suddenly reality gave me a poke.  It occurred to me that I had life time membership for the gym that closed down life looked all the same no matter whether you lived at country, city or town In one night everything changed even life's future goals It was suddenly important to store more grocery and have lots of toilet paper rolls All the fake sophistication was exposed by just forgetting to click "mute" on Zoom the so called "lovers for all lives"  had difficulty to stay in one room. Pandemic definitely taught me to look at life by keeping some sense of humor taking life very seriously was definitely a bummer!  

ब्रह्मांड ज्याचे क्रीडांगण  समग्र सृष्टी ज्याचे अधीन  भक्तांच्या भक्तीस्तव हे विश्वचैतन्य  दारी प्रगटले यशोदेच्या समस्त जो घेई आकर्षून  कृष्ण तयाचे नाव  खोडकर तयाच्या बाळलीला  का असतील ह्याला अपवाद? अशाच एके दिवशी  खेळत असता श्रीपती  दृष्टी पडली तयाची  अंगणातील गोरस पात्रावरी  गोरस थोडे खाऊन  त्यात खेळू लागला कान्हा  जमवून मर्कटांचा मेळा  त्यांनाही भरवू लागला  अंगणातील हा भलता खेळ  पाहुनी यशोदा चकित  रागे भरुनी हृषिकेशाला  बांधू लागली उखळाला  आणुनी एक दोर  बांधिला कटीभोवती जगदपतीच्या  जो चालवितो जगताला  ऊर्जा पुरवे ब्रह्मांडाला  भक्तीस्तव भक्तांच्या  तो झाला दामोदर  बाळ रांगूनी पुढे गेला  उखळीने भंगले वृक्षांना  कुबेर पुत्रांना दिली मुक्ती  अशा किती कथा देवाच्या!  किती कृष्ण कृपेच्या गोष्टी  दामोदर लीला ऐशी  वेळोवेळी भक्तांच्या  प्रेमाला उत्तर देशी  

Birds, rivers, and wind They do not follow any borders They fly and flow wherever they like Without having to follow any orders   Strong or weak, colorful, or colorless Every creature has its place in the forest Where all the rules are nature’s Without any discrimination or performance test   All the flowers with different colors Bloom happily in one place It shows that difference is beautiful No matter what skin or what race   Little kids get curious They do not respond with hate When they see something different Without having to teach them any growth mindset   Day or night, the Sun is always in the sky Duality is only what mind perceives But if we keep it aside and look around Its only desires that universe gives and receives      

 Early morning rain music for some ears  traffic chaos for others Winter wonderland best times of the year for some unwanted memories for others Some of us like to go left some of us like right the truth is a subjective term but this urge for the truth is bright who am I?  Who is the creator of this universe?  the quest is long with little insight which one is really my truth?  the available answers are infinite The more you learn you realize how less you know with this urge for the truth which way shall I go?  Good or bad, true or false the duality is only in my mind If I learn to enjoy the life's journey I will realize that the universe is kind

 I knew you from the time when I was born Between you and surroundings my world got torn Please accept my prayer and help me now I want to love you back but don't know how In this confusing world when I feel lonely You have always been there and I want to run to you only when my mind gets bewildered and I am scared to death Please teach me how to keep the faith I have felt your presence in universe's magnanimous beauty but I have always felt tangled in the confusion of duty Please help me feel attracted  and to fix my mind  only in you and to overcome the urge to find Please accept my prayer and replace this feeling of lack with eternal happiness and the ability to love you back